That's about to change!
We just got back from an annual conference with the Arkansas Bed and Breakfast Association at a beautiful spot on Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, about a two-hour drive south of us. Around 25 or 30 innkeepers from all over the state came together for seminars, story swapping, and just plain old networking. It was our first meeting to attend, and I can tell you, it will most certainly not be our last.
We will do our best to never miss another one. What an invaluable way to spend two days.
In the first five minutes of meeting the seasoned B&B owners from around the state, we feel like we learned almost as much as we did in our first year-and-a-half open.
(Well, maybe not quite. Nothing quite teaches you like experience.)
But really. It was great to get out and connect with people who can give us that knowing nod and say with authority, "oh, I know exactly what you're talking about. Here's what we do ..." The stories --priceless!
Anyway, one of the key takeaways was that we need to blog more. So we will be updating this post more regularly. At least, that's the idea.
So to kick it off, we'll give some highlights from the past year.
- Hundreds of guests have shared our home with us. Far more than we ever expected for our first year. We are so thrilled at the first year's turnout!
- Most guests came to visit Crystal Bridges, of course. Some for meetings. Some for family. Some to hunt down their genealogy. Others just passing through. We've enjoyed meeting and getting to know them all.
- They came from all over -- from Houston to Montreal, San Diego to Rome
- They shared their favorite vacation spots (we've now added about 45 places to our "must visit" list), and of course, pictures of their children, grandchildren, girlfriends, pets, spouses, you name it.
- Their business cards boasted every profession from retiree, doctor, student, farmer, and judge to philanthropist, fiction novel author, biographer, artist, textile conservator and dude rancher.
- Needless to say, we've had some really interesting breakfast conversations.
- We said goodbye to our sweet old beagle Dixie.
- We said hello to a cute new basset hound mix, Twinkie (who is, by the way, still learning how to be a gracious innkeeper. Until she is a proper hostess, you may only catches glimpses of her before she's whisked away to her room.)
- Quite a bit of local art has made it into the house -- from the plates and mugs at the breakfast table to new paintings on the walls.
- After daily use and abuse (from guests and owners alike, mind you), we killed our Keurig. (Don't worry, you can still get your "anytime" coffee fix. We bought a new one.)
- We baked (and consumed) thousands of Don's chocolate chip cookies.
- Our fourth room, The Laught, opened in July. It's fabulous. You must stay in it sometime.
- We've been joined by new lodging neighbors in the downtown area, The Victoria B&B and the new 21C Museum Hotel.
- We've had the pleasure of sending our guests to some of the hottest restaurants in America -- within 1 to 3 blocks of our place. Don't believe us? Then check out the Washington Post's 2013 "In/Out list". Charleston dining scene is out. Bentonville's is in. Bam.
- We remembered why it's so important to update blog posts regularly. It's tough work trying to recall all the stuff that happened! Of course, there's more. Maybe we'll tell you about it in another post.
Alice C. and Jim R. (siblings), stayed with us for their family reunion this past July
Next post will almost definitely mention something about the upcoming Norman Rockwell Exhibit (March 9 through May 27 -- reserve your tickets -- AND your rooms -- now) at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Until next time (which will be soon...)
Until next time (which will be soon...)
Jenny
